Mayor Sam Liccardo Off to a Running Start in Re-Election Bid

Sources say the mayor raked in some $545,000 in the last three weeks of 2017. (Photo by Virginia Becker, via The Family Album Project)

San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo beat his own record for the opening campaign fundraising period. Though the finance reports aren’t due to the city clerk’s office until the end of the month, sources tell Fly that the first-term mayor raked in $545,000 during the three weeks leading up to midnight on New Year’s Day. Liccardo’s initial fundraising tally put him well ahead of the pack back in 2014, too, when he reported more than $513,000 in contributions during the same period. Unlike four years ago when he ran against labor-backed Dave Cortese and City Council colleague Madison Nguyen, however, Liccardo is the only serious candidate for mayor in 2018—at least so far. Far-right Republican Steve Brown, who lost the District 2 City Council race to Sergio Jimenez in 2016, reportedly entertained the idea for a minute but never acted on it. Regardless, Liccardo’s $545,000 first haul sends a clear message to prospective challengers. Whoever jumps in the race now will have some catching-up to do. “We’re very grateful for this show of support from neighbors and friends,” Liccardo’s campaign manager Pearl Sangha tells Fly. “It’s a testament to the mayor’s record of building a safer, stronger and more united San Jose.” Liccardo’s fundraising adviser, Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone, says he’s not surprised to hear that the incumbent garnered so much financial support right out the gate. “Things have turned around in the city since he took office,” he says, citing the city’s landmark pension settlement that helped mend Liccardo’s relationship with San Jose’s police unions. “Obviously there’s always disagreement on certain policy issues, but nothing major like the ones [Liccardo predecessor] Chuck Reed had.” Stone—who’s coming up for re-election himself—says he still anticipates at least one to a few mayoral contenders will put their name in the running. “I expect him to have competition,” he remarks. “I don’t think the mayor of the 10th-largest city in America gets a pass in the election. But the question is how formidable would the competition be?”

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Not sure why Stone’s so sure the Mayor of the 10th largest city in America won’t get a pass for re-election when that’s pretty much exactly what happened for Reed in 2010. Looks like history will repeat itself in this case.

If Sam’s Mexican administration or Police Officers interfere, Obstruction Of Justice arrests will be made of anyone who gets involved. We want to wait until their sales are huge and the safes are full. The next issue is all the City of San Jose politicals that facilitated the licensing and encouraged the dope sales and their relatives who got the licenses. Property owners beware your properties can be taken.

Well, hope you win and hope all your legal dope stores get opened and stocked full of dope and lots of cash in their safes because they can’t use banks. Guess what? See what happened in Santa Clara yesterday Well DEA and the Justice Department are waiting until Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose , Fresno, Bakersfield and Los Angeles open and stock up and store cash. Then in will come an army being prepared and housed in Arizona to make one of the largest armies of Law Enforcement personnel ever to conduct State wide raids, arrests and confiscations in history.

Colorado has had legal marijuana for six years and no one has come busting in with a large army. If you think the Republicans who glorify states rights are going to let that happen you need to think again.

The City that elected him is running at a $50M defecit… in a boom economy… yet he manages to personally accrue half a million for re-election. Democracy is broken in San Jose.

I’d imagine we’re only a few months away from Murky Gnus printing stories, editorials, advertisements and reader letters praising the awesome job he’s done- can anyone point to a single campaign promise he’s accomplished?

He ran on a pro-Measure B platform against Cortese, then flip-flopped after election and did exactly what Cortese campaigned on.

He was against marijuana businesses… oops. Demanded Lyft and Uber get fingerprinted and business licenses… ouch. Completely screwed up the flooding last year, thankfully no one died. By pretty much any metric of personal performance he’s a failure.

Yeah, the economy is good and Google dreams of building here- that has little to do with the dummy that got elected though. Take a look at who he and Reed placed in charge of the pension funds. How’s the Water Treatment Plant running? Why are the streets full of potholes? Why are there transients everywhere since he took office?